Coming to Grips with the Genus Correa

Maria Hitchcock

History of the Correa Study Group

A while ago Jan Sked, the Study Group Co-ordinator, compiled some notes on the history of all the study groups. Apparently Bill Payne, the former editor of the Australian Plants journal instrumental in the establishment of study groups within the Society for Growing Australian Plants (SGAP). He originally called them 'Study Sections' and the first mention of them (the Waratah Study Group) was in Volume 1 of Australian Plants which was published in 1959. So the concept of study groups goes back a long way to the early days of the Society. By 1962 there were eighteen study groups including one for correas, which was led by Mr A. E. Brooks of Cheltenham in Victoria. In Volume 2 of Australian Plants, Bill Payne wrote:

'For those who wish to learn more about growing wildflowers but do not have any experience, there are a number of special study sections. Complete instructions are given as to the best plants to grow, germination of seed, development of best forms, flowers, etc. Your only contribution is the growing of these plants in your garden as directed and reporting results'.

The Correa Study Group was still functioning under Mr Brooks leadership in 1972. By this time he had moved to Sandringham. In 1976 the group was no longer functioning and it was suggested that a Rutaceae Group be formed. The following year, Dr Mervyn Turner of Boronia in Victoria took up the leadership of a Rutaceae group. It survived for four years until 1981 when it was closed. A Boronia group was then started by Barbara Buchanan in 1985.

Trish McTavish of Tamworth revived the Correa Study Group in 1989 and that's when I became involved. Twelve years earlier, when the New England SGAP group was formed, I was given two Correa plants. One was Correa 'Dusky Bells' and the other was C.alba. Both plants thrived in my garden and I resolved to grow more varieties. The study group was an opportunity to increase my collection and to learn more about these hardy shrubs. The following year, in 1990, John Knight started up the Boronia and Allied Genera Study Group. I took over the leadership of the Correa Study Group in 1991 and have been leader since.

The Boronia and Allied Genera Study Group went into recess in 1999 due to the disastrous fires which wiped out John Knight's home and all his records. This year that group has been re-activated by Marilyn Gray of Karwarra Gardens in Victoria.

A few Correa speciesClick on thumbnail images or plant names for larger images

When I took over the Correa Study Group, I was given a box of archival material which may contain information about those early days. I still cannot work out where Marian Beek fitted in. I thought that she had been a leader at one stage, but there is no record of it in Jan Sked's article. Marian (or Marianne - her real name) was a real guru of the Correa world. She had an extraordinary collection of correas in her garden and was extremely generous with her plants, giving cuttings of her cultivars to nursery people who profited from them. As far as I know, Marian received no monetary rewards for her efforts. Her name lives on however, in one of the most popular cultivars, 'Marian's Marvel' which was introduced to the trade by Bill Cane.

Marian's good friend, Cath Alcock, painted almost every Correa that Marian had growing, some of which are now lost to cultivation. Her four albums of paintings represent a significant historical resource. After Marian's death, I asked if I could borrow the albums. My husband Don has photographed every painting onto slides and I am in the process of scanning all the paintings and storing them onto CD-ROM. Copies of these will be presented to Herbaria and Botanic Gardens.

Current activities

This year I celebrate thirteen years as Correa Study Group Leader. Membership has steadily increased during that time and I mustn't be doing too bad a job as many members have been with me (and behind me) for much of that time. I remember taking on the job in total ignorance - how does that line go 'Fools rush in where angels fear to tread'. It has been a big learning curve.

There are so many facets to the leadership of a study group and it would be nice to have unlimited time to devote to it. Unfortunately my day (and sometimes night) job as a high school teacher can be overwhelming at times especially when reports are due or just before senior exams. There always seems to be something that needs my urgent attention and so study group matters get neglected. I do have a system of administration which works for me. It must be remembered that my membership is larger than many local Society Groups which have a committee to do all the administration. The load can be pretty overwhelming at times and I am sure that is why study group leaders do not stay very long in the position on the whole.

The documentation of all the numerous varieties, forms and cultivars that crop up all the time is intensive. You need bulk time and some good equipment, not to mention some pretty good skills. Now that I have a decent scanner, I can scan specimens and by-pass the laborious and expensive job of slide-taking. Of course some specimens still need to be photographed so I have not done away with this totally. New cultivars need to be described in botanical terms which can take quite a while as each part of the plant has to be examined under a microscope. Fortunately, I can e-mail my descriptions to Iain Dawson (Australian Cultivar Registration Authority), thus speeding up the registration quite a lot.

We are currently trying to register as many new varieties as possible. This is done in co-operation with members who send me cuttings complete with flowering parts. I have asked members to look out for promising cultivars in their gardens and we are getting a good response. Two cultivars are currently being trialed by Colourwise Nurseries for commercial release. We hope to attract a small royalty for the group if they decide to go ahead.

The most recent success story has to be Correa 'Federation Belle' which came up in Sarah and David Caldwell's nursery near Torrington, NSW. Sarah rang me when she realised that the seedling had an outstanding flower and discussed a name. She told me that Tenterfield was looking for a new plant to dedicate during their Centenary of Federation celebration, so we decided to call it 'Federation Belle'. The plant was advertised nationally through Gardening Australia and was officially launched by me during the 'Oracles of the Bush' festival in April 2001. The Caldwells are distributing the plant nationally through their wholesale business and they will gain royalties on the label.

A few Correa species and cultivarsClick on thumbnail images or plant names for larger images

The propagation of new cutting material sent by members is the part I like best as I love spending time in my glasshouse. Everything is carefully labelled and eventually these plants end up in my garden which is developing a very interesting correa understorey. Some members, like Bob O'Neill and Cherree Densley have outstanding collections and I have been able to increase my diversity of species by visiting their gardens. Members also send me cuttings regularly of anything interesting. I believe that Karwarra Gardens holds a living collection.

Mt Annan Botanic Gardens and the Australian National Botanic Gardens also have significant Correa collections. I have been able to boost their collections by sending cuttings collected on several expeditions to eastern Victoria, Kangaroo Island and Tasmania. These trips are very exciting and they give me an opportunity to meet up with members. Correa lovers are always the nicest people. It has also given me a chance to go places I'd never heard of before and to familiarise myself with some amazing correa habitats in different parts of Australia. I hold a general collector's permit and have been issued with permits by the various authorities before every trip. While I collect, Don photographs and we now have a significant photographic record of correas growing in the wild.

I publish two newsletters per year and welcome contributions as they allow members to interact with each other. I also provide an address list with each newsletter so that members can contact others in their area. Promotion of the group is done through magazine articles and on the Internet. You can never have enough publicity and this year we managed to cash in on the federation theme with Correa 'Federation Belle'. I have seen a tremendous increase in the number of correas being grown in my local area and I believe this is due to the presence of the study group.

Financing study groups

The biggest problem that I face apart from a lack of time is a lack of finance. I don't want to increase fees too much because people are already paying a Society subscription. However, the cost of slides and display photographs is very expensive and sometimes beyond our modest budgets. I subsidise the group personally by paying for my trips and all propagation materials, not to mention use of computers and Internet. I can't claim any of this off my tax either. I use my school to print the newsletter to keep that cost down. There has to be some way of assisting study groups financially. Perhaps we could be allowed to apply for environmental or heritage grants. This subject really needs to be discussed by ASGAP.

The future

In the pipeline is the Correa book. I have no idea how to publish it. I arranged to publish an edition of Australian Plants in 2002 devoted to correas and that will be a good first step. I welcome new members and enjoy the camaraderie that develops between correa lovers around Australia. If anyone is interested in joining the group, my address is listed in all the State newsletters.

This article was originally presented at the ASGAP 21st Biennial Seminar which was held in Canberra, ACT, 1 to 5 October 2001.